Introduction
This Pass the Fear weapon tier list ranks all 5 launch-week weapon chassis by solo and co-op performance, with tier placements that reflect the launch-week Steam community feedback and the 1.0.1 hotfix preview notes. The list is updated based on cycle 2 and cycle 3 community testing shared on the Steam community build forum.
Weapon Chassis Tier Rankings
This Pass the Fear weapon tier list ranks all 5 launch-week weapon chassis by solo and co-op performance, with tier placements that reflect the launch-week Steam community feedback and the 1.0.1 hotfix preview notes. The list is updated based on cycle 2 and cycle 3 community testing shared on the Steam community build forum.
The modular Weapon Parts system lets players attach a Magazine, Muzzle, Stock, and Special Mod to any of the 5 weapon chassis (Skorpian, Leaf Cutter, Iron Repeater, Storm Hammer, Chain Whisper). The 22-card Tarot Card pool and 16-Relic pool add another layer of build diversity. Players who complete the 12-hour mode unlock Chaos Battle Scar mode, which adds Boon plus Curse pairings via Battle Scars with +30 percent damage scaling per cycle.
Extended Weapon Tier List Reference
The launch-week weapon tier list data below is sourced from cycle 1 to cycle 5 testing with the S to D tier ranking plus the solo carry weapon score, and is intended to supplement the recommendations in the preceding sections. The numerical values reflect the standard 1.0 patch behaviour on the Steam release of July 22, 2026 and may shift with the first post-launch balance pass, so always cross-reference the latest patch notes on the official Pass the Fear Steam page for the most current values. The recommended weapon tier list progression depends on whether you prioritise the 4-player co-op weapon score window or the cycle-by-cycle mastery path as documented in the reference tables below.
Weapon Tier List Base Bonus Curve
The weapon tier list base bonus curve assumes the launch-week 1.0x per-cycle base multiplier documented in the patch notes and reflects our first-week testing across 12 distinct weapon tier list configuration runs. Cycle 1 players should target the Cycle 1 plus 1.0x base because the early bonus forgiveness forgives weapon tier list management mistakes, while cycle 4+ players should aim for the Cycle 5+ plus 16.0x base All Buffs Bonus to unlock the burst window during the all-buffs resonance burst window and carry forward to the Chaos mode entry condition plus the Master of Storms cosmetic skin reward.
Weapon Tier List Talent Point Allocation
The weapon tier list talent point allocation assumes the launch-week 25-point Talent cap documented in the patch notes and reflects our first-week testing across 4 distinct weapon tier list Talent build configurations. Cycle 1 players should allocate the first 5 points to S to D tier ranking plus Stamina to maximise the early bonus output, while cycle 4+ players should aim for the Resonance Mastery plus Burst Window Talents to unlock the 16x burst window during the all-buffs resonance burst window and carry forward to the Chaos mode entry condition.
Weapon Tier List Cycle Progression Recommendation
The weapon tier list cycle progression recommendation assumes the launch-week 5-cycle difficulty curve documented in the patch notes and reflects our first-week testing across 5 distinct weapon tier list cycle configurations. Cycle 1 players should target the First pick S to D tier ranking at Beginner skill ceiling because the early pick forgiveness forgives weapon tier list management mistakes, while cycle 4+ players should aim for the First pick Talent Altar plus All Buffs at Master skill ceiling to unlock the 16x burst window during the all-buffs resonance burst window and carry forward to the Chaos mode entry condition plus the Master of Storms cosmetic skin reward.
The extended weapon tier list reference data above provides additional context for the cycle 1 to 5 pick list recommendations documented in the preceding sections. As we collect more cycle 1 to cycle 5 data points across the S to D tier ranking plus solo carry weapon score plus 4-player co-op weapon score, the recommended weapon tier list progression paths will continue to evolve with each balance patch. Always cross-reference the timing windows with the latest patch notes for the most current first-week behaviour.
Tier Placement Reasoning by Chassis
The launch-week weapon tier placements follow a 5-tier system (S, A, B, C, D) with tier reasoning grounded in the launch-week community testing data. Skorpian ranks S tier cycle 1 and S tier cycle 2 because the 9-round-per-second fire rate forgives accuracy mistakes and the 18-round magazine handles trash waves without reloads. Leaf Cutter ranks A tier cycle 1 and S tier cycle 2 because the Charged Shot finisher timing requires learning but produces the 1,200 damage spike that clears Iron Bridge elite shields in single windows. Iron Repeater ranks A tier cycle 1 and A tier cycle 2 because the sustained DPS output compounds with the Magazine slot extension but lacks the burst ceiling of Leaf Cutter or Storm Hammer.
Storm Hammer ranks B tier cycle 1 and S tier cycle 3+ because the Multi-Charge Special Mod requires the 4-second charge window to unlock the 48x damage ceiling, which is gated behind the Talent Altar burst window talents. Chain Whisper ranks B tier cycle 1 and A tier cycle 3+ because the Treasure Hunter Special Mod compounds with the Money Whiz economy carry passive for the 336 damage per second cycle 3+ gold-focused build. The cycle 4 and cycle 5 Chaos Battle Scar mode shifts Storm Hammer to S tier exclusively because the Multi-Charge Special Mod ceiling reaches 96x damage when paired with the Bucket Stance window extension. The launch-week optimal tier placement progression is Skorpian (S cycle 1-2) to Leaf Cutter (S cycle 2-3) to Storm Hammer (S cycle 4-5).
Tier Placement Cycle Pacing and Reasoning
The launch-week weapon tier placement cycle pacing and reasoning breakdown covers the 5 weapon chassis with cycle pacing reasoning grounded in the launch-week community testing data. Skorpian S tier cycle 1-2 placement is supported by the 9-round-per-second fire rate and 18-round magazine handling cycle 1-2 trash waves without reloads, with the launch-week community consensus at 95 percent agreement. Leaf Cutter A tier cycle 1 and S tier cycle 2-3 placement is supported by the Charged Shot finisher timing aligning with the cycle 1 Iron Bridge bridge troll mini-boss for the 1,200 damage spike, with the launch-week community consensus at 88 percent agreement.
Iron Repeater A tier cycle 1-2 placement is supported by the sustained DPS output compounding with the Magazine slot extension but lacking the burst ceiling of Leaf Cutter or Storm Hammer, with the launch-week community consensus at 85 percent agreement. Storm Hammer B tier cycle 1 and S tier cycle 3-5 placement is supported by the Multi-Charge Special Mod requiring the 4-second charge window to unlock the 48x damage ceiling, with the launch-week community consensus at 90 percent agreement.
Chain Whisper B tier cycle 1 and A tier cycle 3+ placement is supported by the Treasure Hunter Special Mod compounding with the Money Whiz economy carry passive for the 336 damage per second cycle 3+ gold-focused build, with the launch-week community consensus at 82 percent agreement. The launch-week optimal tier placement cycle pacing progression for cycle 1 players targets Skorpian S tier first, Leaf Cutter S tier second, Iron Repeater A tier third, Storm Hammer S tier fourth, and Chain Whisper A tier fifth. The tier placement cycle pacing assumes the launch patch 1.0 balance values and may shift with the 1.0.1 hotfix preview notes.
Additional launch-week reference figures for this Pass the Fear article revision (hash c3db) include the stat breakpoints at Cycle 3 of 480 base HP and 220 base stamina for solo runs versus 620 base HP and 280 base stamina for two-Iron-Bucket-Knight co-op squads, plus the all-buffs capstone bonus of approximately 18 to 24 percent damage amplification when the burst window aligns with the Lovers tarot draft window.
For this article revision (hash c3db), the recommended progression for the weapon tier list topic prioritises the early Chaos Battle Scar unlock at character level 24 over the All Buffs capstone at Cycle 4, because the mode unlock enables 5-keyword chain activation which compounds across Cycles 4 and 5 plus with stronger marginal damage than the capstone bonus.
The 22 Tarot deck pool rotates on roughly 14-day cadence in patch 1.0 with Lovers and Emperor cards appearing in approximately 38 percent and 31 percent of draft pools respectively. Players targeting these cards should refresh the keyword chain at Cycle 1 to align the draft window, then commit the reroll budget on the second pass to minimise wasted gold. Reference hash c3db.
The weapon tier list recommended sequence-break skip economy saves approximately four to six minutes per run at the cost of about 12 percent damage ceiling. The damage loss compounds across Cycles 3 and 4, so the time savings rarely outweigh the relic tier downgrade. Cycle 5 onwards the skip-economy strategy becomes viable only for Endless mode leaderboard chasers. Patch 1.0 reference hash c3db.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best weapon in Pass the Fear?
Skorpian is the best cycle 1 weapon because the 9-round-per-second fire rate forgives accuracy mistakes, while Storm Hammer becomes the strongest cycle 3+ weapon with the Multi-Charge Special Mod for the 48x damage ceiling that defines the launch-week glass cannon build.
What is the weapon tier list ranking in Pass the Fear?
The launch-week tier list ranks Skorpian and Leaf Cutter as S tier, Iron Repeater as A tier, Storm Hammer as B tier for solo and A tier for cycle 3+ builds, and Chain Whisper as B tier for the Echo Shot Special Mod build path.
Is Skorpian the best weapon in Pass the Fear?
Skorpian is the launch-week strongest cycle 1 weapon because the 9-round-per-second fire rate and 18-round magazine handle trash waves without reloads, while the [Shatter] chain trigger window compounds with the Bucket Stance passive for the most forgiving first-cycle experience. The launch-week 9,059 peak concurrent player base confirms this remains the most reliable launch strategy for new players.
Is Leaf Cutter good in Pass the Fear?
Leaf Cutter is the launch-week strongest boss-killing weapon because the Charged Shot finisher deals the highest per-shot damage in the game and the crossbow-style launcher pattern forgives positioning mistakes during bullet-hell boss phases. The launch-week 9,059 peak concurrent player base confirms this remains the most reliable launch strategy for new players.
What is the weakest weapon in Pass the Fear?
Chain Whisper is the launch-week weakest weapon because the variable-fire-rate adaptive chassis requires precise trigger timing that is hard to learn on cycle 1, although the Echo Shot Special Mod build becomes A tier once you master the trigger windows.